Slidable drawer construction

ABSTRACT

A drawer for an article of furniture having a two-piece plastic front including a decorative front surface and a rear surface secured thereto. A hollow is located between the surfaces substantially between the ends of the drawer and a slot in communication with the hollow is formed in the rear surface in a plane with and slightly below the drawer bottom. A slide member is disposed on the underside of the bottom and includes a lug on the leading end and a tab on the trailing end. The lug is bent downwardly relative to the bottom engaging surface of the slide and is inserted into the slot with the bent leading end in the hollow. The tab end is secured to the drawer back.

United States Patent [191 West et al. Apr. 16, 1974 SLIDABLE DRAWER CONSTRUCTION [75] Inventors: Herman H. West, Vinton; Ralph G. Pnmary E'mmmer h lmes Attorney, A ent, or Firm-Marshall J. Breen; Chester Nmmgu Roancke both A. Williams? Jr.; Alan Ruderman [73] Assignee: The Singer Company, New York,

NY. [57] ABSTRACT 22 Filed; 1 972 A drawer for an article of furniture having a two-piece plastic front including a decorative front surface and a [21] Appl' 316305 rear surface secured thereto. A hollow is located between the surfaces substantially between the ends of 52 US. Cl. 312/347 the drawer and a Slot in communication with the [51 Im. Cl A47b 88/00 low is formed in them" Surface in a Plane with and [58] Field of Search 312/346, 347, 350, 343, Slightly below the drawer bottom A Slide member is 312/344 341 R disposed on the underside of the bottom and includes a lug on the leading end and a tab on the trailing end. [56] References Cited The lug is bent downwardly relative to the bottom en gaging surface of the slide and is inserted into the slot UNITED STATES PATENTS with the bent leading end in the hollow. The tab end is 3,201,187 8/1965 Reiss et al 312/346 secured to the drawer back. 3,328,107 6/1967 Gutner 312/347 3,694,049 9/1972 Gutner 312/347 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SLIDABLE DRAWER CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a drawer for an article of furniture and more particularly to the construction of a slidable drawer and the assembly of a slide member thereto.

The recent use of synthetic plastics for furniture and in particular for drawer fronts has been substantial because of the capability of providing a decorative ornamentation at a low cost. However, for a drawer to slide smoothly in an article of furniture, such as a dresser or the like, metallic slides such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,365,261 and 3,328,107 operating on guides in the furniture are preferred. The slides are attached to the front and rear walls of the drawer generally because the bottom is very thin and because the securing means may be detrimental to the sliding operation. When drawers are comprised of wooden fronts, a tab or lug on the slide can be stapled to the wood frontas disclosed in the aforesaid patents. However, with a plastic front the 'means of securing these metallic slides has presented problems because plastics do not readily take a staple or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a method for securing a slide member to a drawer having a plastic front, and a drawer of such construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a slidable drawer having a plastic front to which a conventional slide member having a minimum amount of modification may be assembled.

These objects and others are obtained by providing a slot in the rear surface of the drawer front and a hollow between the front and rear surfaces in communication with the slot for receiving a lug bent on an otherwise conventional slide member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING These and other objects and advantages of theinvention will be more readily apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slidable drawer assembled according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of the slide positioned on a guide (shown in phantom) of an article of furniture;

FIG. 3 is' a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the center line of the slide and drawer shown in FIG. 1, but with the slide in an intermediate position during the assembling process;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section similar to FIG. 3, but with the slide member in the final assembled position; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, a drawer is illustrated comprising a front wall 12, a pair of wooden sidewalls l4 and 16, a hardboard bottom 18 and a particle board rear wall 20. The front, as best illustrated in FIGS. 3

and 4, comprises a front panel 22, and a back panel 24 secured together by conventional means, such as gluing, bonding or any other method of providing a permanent type of bond. The front and rear panels comprise a synthetic plastic material which may be polystyrene or another such material which may be injection molded to provide a strong permanent article. The front panel 22 may comprise an aesthetically decorative front surface having an undulating ornamentation such as illustrated at 26 in FIG. 3.

Fixed to the underside of the drawer is a channel shaped slide member 28 adapted to slide on a cooperating guide member 30 mounted in the drawer receiving opening of an article of furniture. The preferred guide member is similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,261, and includes a channel defining generally horizontal upper wall 32 and pair of integral vertical sidewalls 34 having inwardly turned flanges 36. The walls 32 and 34 and the flanges 36 cooperate with complimentary surfaces of the guide as shown in FIG. 2. A portion of the rear wall is cut out as at 38 so that the channel portion can extend therethrough. An upwardly turned tab 40 is formed on the rear end of the slide and is secured to the rear face of the rear wall 20 by conventional means which preferably may be a staple 42.

To secure the slide to the plastic front wall 12, the present invention provides a cut-out or slot 44, best seen in FIG. 5, in the back panel 24 substantially between the sides 14 and 16, and vertically disposed at and below the junction of the underside of the bottom 18 with the panel 22. The bottom 18, as described in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 316,204 assigned to the common assignee herewith, is joined to the panel 24 in a rabbet formed between ribs 46 and 48 which are formed integral with the back panel. The slot may be machined in the panel, but preferably the panel 24 is molded with slot therein. The slot leads to a cavity or a hollow 50, which in the preferred embodiment is merely a space between the panels 22 and 24. The forward end of the slide 28 is formed, by machining or stamping or other conventional methods, with a lug 52. The lug 52 is bent downwardly as at 54 relative to the surface 32 to form an acute angle in the lower surface of the lug. In the preferred embodiment where the front 12 comprises panels 22 and 24, the bend should be located such that the distance from the leading edge 56 of the slide 28 to the bend 54 is substantially equal to the thickness x of the rear panel 24 at the location of the slot 44.

To secure the slide 28 to the drawer, the leading edge 58 of the lug 52 is inserted into the slot 44. The slide is then at a steep angle to the drawer bottom 18. Thereafter the slide is turned upwardly and pushed toward the panel 24, this being shown in FIG. 3. The slide is continued to be turned upwardly and pushed toward the panel 24 so that the entire lug is within the slot and with the bend in the hollow. It should be clear that the length of the slide from the shoulder 56 to the tab 40 is equal to the length of the drawer from the rear panel 24 to the back 20. Thus in this position, as shown in FIG. 4, the leading edge 56 of the slide 28 abuts the back surface of the rear panel 24 and the tab 40 extends upwardly along the back wall. 20. It should be understood that the downward bend provides a tighter fit and prevents the leg from being inadvertently pulled out of the hollow. Therefore, a workman may thereaf ter easily insert a staple 42 into the tab 40 to permanently lock the slide in place.

It should thus be clear that not only is a simple and rapid assembly provided but a tight fitting slide to drawer construction. Numerous alterations of the structure disclosed herein will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:

l. A drawer for an article of furniture comprising a pair of spaced sides, a bottom, a back attached to rear portions of said sides and bottom, a synthetic plastic front attached to forward portions of said sides and bottoms, said front having a hollow formed in at least a portion thereof between the forward and rear surfaces,

means defining a slot in the rear surface communicating with said hollow and disposed substantially at and below the intersection of the bottom, an elongated slide member disposed on the underside of said bottom adapted to slidably cooperate with the article of fumiture, means for securing one end of said slide to said back, and an integral lug formed on the other end of said slide extending through said slot, said lug being bent out of the plane of elongation in the hollow to secure the slide to said front.

2. A drawer as recited in claim 1 wherein said front comprises a front panel and a rear panel, and means for securing said rear panel to said front panel with said hollow formed therebetween.

3. A drawer as recited in claim 2 wherein said slide abuts the rear panel, and the bend in said lug is located at a distance from the abutment equal to the thickness of the rear panel.

4. A drawer as recited in claim 1 wherein said lug is bent downwardly relative to said bottom. 

1. A drawer for an article of furniture comprising a pair of spaced sides, a bottom, a back attached to rear portions of said sides and bottom, a synthetic plastic front attached to forward portions of said sides and bottoms, said front having a hollow formed in at least a portion thereof between the forward and rear surfaces, means defining a slot in the rear surface communicating with said hollow and disposed substantially at and below the intersection of the bottom, an elongated slide member disposed on the underside of said bottom adapted to slidably cooperate with the article of furniture, means for securing one end of said slide to said back, and an integral lug formed on the other end of said slide extending through said slot, said lug being bent out of the plane of elongation in the hollow to secure the slide to said front.
 2. A drawer as recited in claim 1 wherein said front comprises a front panel and a rear panel, and means for securing said rear panel to said front panel with said hollow formed therebetween.
 3. A drawer as recited in claim 2 wherein said slide abuts the rear panel, and the bend in said lug is located at a distance from the abutment equal to the thickness of the rear panel.
 4. A drawer as recited in claim 1 wherein said lug is bent downwardly relative to said bottom. 